Back in 2013 when I first played on east, one of the main things that got me to stay on the server was the M9K weapons, which I had never seen before. The models are great and the pack offered more variety than most other servers could give. The only issue is that nearly all of the guns are unviable. There's some great guns that are fun to use, such as the M4, KAC, 416, and ACR, but as good as these guns are by themselves, they all share a flaw. For the most part, someone using one of those guns is at a disadvantage against anyone using the AK-47. The AK is too powerful not to use, and if you use the gun regularly then switch to another weapon you'll probably realize soon that other guns don't have the firepower to compete with an AK. I'll start by showing the weapon stats table. Spoiler The first thing you should notice is that the only gun in the game with higher DPS is the bulk cannon, with the AK even beating the jackhammer and MP7. The closest competitor is the TAR, but even it has trouble against the AK. TTT isn't CS:GO. There aren't stats like weight and you aren't constantly in a deathmatch, so stats like reload time can be managed. Recoil is mostly irrelevant too since most gunfights are in close quarters and it can be managed with some practice (One thing of note is that a downside to a gun that can be circumvented with skill isn't really a downside). This leaves DPS as the main stat that affects the viability of guns, and with the AK having so much of an advantage in that stat it's no wonder that everyone uses it. I've heard some people say that if you get good with other guns the AK isn't a problem. These people don't understand how balance works. Of course someone who has no idea what they're doing with an AK against a skilled player with an M16 would probably lose. The issue comes when you look at what you have to do to use an AK effectively versus another rifle. I've heard people say that aiming for the head with a honey badger or 416 puts your damage on par with the AK, but an AK user doesn't need to aim at the head. They can just shred through someone without needing to learn how to hit headshots. There's no reason to learn to hit someone in the head with any other gun because you can just use an AK and wreck shop. I remember back in 2014 when the double barrel came out everyone complained about it. In close quarters it could easily kill two people before it needed to be reloaded. The gun was nerfed to fire both shots at once, so even though it was still an easy gun to use it became less effective against multiple people and forced traitors to learn to get people away from crowds instead of rushing people together. Compare that to the current AK, which kills faster than most people can react at close range and has a clip that can potentially take out 2-3 people if used right. Other rifles can do this, but the AK is the easiest one to do it with since you can miss more shots and still output enough damage to do it without having to be a CS:GO pro. There are a few weapons that can situationally be better such as a honey badger or SL8 on a map like camel or a double barrel as an innocent to compete with traitors that use the AK, but with how TTT is generally played the AK is the best weapon for most situations. We probably aren't ever gonna have a meta where every single gun is viable in some situation, but as long as the AK has the DPS it has now no other gun can be viable. Most of the time if you aren't using the AK you're putting yourself at a disadvantage, which is especially pronounced on vanilla where non donators don't have as much access to the gun. There shouldn't be a weapon you spawn with that has a higher DPS than the MP7, so reducing it's DPS to around TAR levels would shift the meta in the right direction.
Just increase the shot timer from 0.08 -> 0.12 or something. Then while you're at it change the HK Slate from 4 shots per second to 2 Rate Disagree if you agree.
Thank you for posting your concerns. This, along a few other things, is something we are currently looking into in hope to find a solution. I hope that in the near future we will be able to solve this problem in one way or another.
I agree, donators in the vanilla servers dominate them mainly because they have easier access to the AK-47. I'd like it to be more fair for the rest of the players. +1
Well written post. I agree. Dont agree with Panzers suggestion to nerf the SL8 though. If it got slowed down then it would just be a worse Colt, but with a scope on it.
A small part of me is interested in seeing how a meta change would play out, but the other part of me fears the change. And I quite like my advantage over the feeble peasants of vanilla.
I didn't realize that the ak47 has higher dps than the mp7 or jackhammer. This really shouldn't be a thing. I've always defended the ak because I love using it so much, but should it really be stronger than the strongest d/t shop items? Probably not. I'm down for a nerf as long as it's not too bad and keeps the ak as a top tier gun. Another thought, it DOES have harder to control recoil. If we brought down the damage closer to the tar, what would be the point in using it instead of the tar? We would kind of have the same problem. If it has the highest recoil, it should have some of the highest damage (just not THE highest in game).
The thing about this is, it is a staple weapon right now that a lot of people know and use because of the strength it carries. We have to be careful not to nerf it so hard that it loses its appeal entirely, and more so bring it in to line a bit with the other weapons so that, while still viable, it isn't the only real choice. Not to mention, there aren't a whole lot of AKs spattered on the maps, so it stands to say that mostly donators with loadouts are packing them. Take that for what you will.
What's wrong with making one weapon lose it's appeal when 8 more become viable because of that nerf? Besides it's not like we don't already have weapons nobody uses. We aren't gonna be turning the AK into the Vikhr, but just because it isn't being used as much as it is now doesn't mean it was nerfed too hard. The whole point of this nerf is to add variety to loadouts and not have everyone using the same weapon.
I definitely agree with you on that part, and in some ways have already discussed weapons tuning to hopefully escape the 'AK/HK SL8/Colt' weapons kit that just about everyone uses, or at least the regulars. What I'm saying is, it needs to be nerfed, but not to the point where it is unusable/undesirable.
Look at that glorious bastard of a weapon, murdering indiscriminately. It's time to bring the beast down a notch or two.
First they're nerfing our guns, next thing you know they're gonna start petitioning for our right to bear arms to be taken away! In all seriousness I don't think it would be the worst idea to have the AK slightly reduced in damage or SPS. But for the love of god please don't make it totally unreasonable to use. +1
